


Moonlight Princess, May I Ask for a Dance?

by hayamii94



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Puppy Love, Sappy, Valentine's Day Fluff, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 10:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9816239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayamii94/pseuds/hayamii94
Summary: In a world where all Karasuno members go to the same university. (Wouldn't that be nice?)The boys spent their Valentine's Day together, they:1. Went to their poetry class2. Had a late lunch3. Got caught into a volleyball game (and something else), and4. Fell in love with each otherThey never saw that last one coming, though.





	1. Moonlight Princess, May I Ask for a Dance?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! My name is hayamii, and this is my first fic on AO3!
> 
> It's a really late Valentine's Day fic, but I had to spend some time editing 'cuz I'm an awkward writer. So here it is! If you have any questions after reading, feel free to ask in the comments!
> 
> The story revolves around Tsukki and Yama, with the team appearing in the later half. 
> 
> There's some play on words! But really it's only just on Tsukki's name. So all you need to know is that the name Tsukishima written in kanji is "Moon Island" and "Tsuki" = "moon", "moon" = "Tsuki". And also in Japanese grammar, "Moonlight Princess" can be read like "Princess Moonlight".
> 
> And as always, thanks for reading! Please leave comments and kudos if you like the fic. It really boosts my diminishing confidence <3

“You’re the type to run from dances.  
With wine glass in one hand, strange bitterness in the other,  
You sit with your ugly scowl and your gritted teeth, by the window  
Where moonlight floods on your wasted fairness,  
So, Moonlight Princess, I ask for a dance.

No doubt I’m like the others,  
No more handsome, no more Prince Charming, if not perhaps more hideous in a lot of ways,  
I pray that you don’t notice.  
Or if you do, I hope you turn a blind eye on my faults,  
Moonlight Princess, so I may ask for a dance.

If I may add bluntly, I see that you chose to stay in the hall,  
Where the heat of the dancers smothers and the lively chatter deafens,  
Dare I say, you seek a place in them as well? If that is indeed, then let me say this,  
The night is young, but not forever. My patience lasts, but for no one else,  
So, my Moonlight Princess, may I ask for a dance?”

 

When Yamaguchi finished reciting, the lecturer motioned him to sit. He nodded with nervous twinkles in his eyes and a sheepish grin on his face. But before he sat, his eyes searched the lecture hall for a head of blond in the crowd. Eagerly, he did so. But in the end he couldn’t find who he was looking for, sighed with relief, and sat down.

Tsukishima took all of this in. That day, he had essays due and quizzes to write; of course, the quizzes started late because the TA fell down the stairs on his way here, thus it ended late. And now he’s also late for his much needed nap, late for his coffee, and late for the poetry discussion class. When he finally managed to get there, the class was already half-way through, so he had to sneak in quietly through the backdoor. There, he spotted Yamaguchi in their usual seats near the back. Yamaguchi had saved him a seat but, but conveniently, he didn’t notice Tsukishima coming in.

With class already underway, Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to squeeze through half a row of students just to get to Yamaguchi. No, it’d cause too much commotion and he’d end up tripping over someone’s bag. So in the end he chose to sit by the backdoor; where he couldn’t see anything on the board even with his glasses on. He clicked his tongue.

The lecture went on for another half an hour. Tsukishima sat through it with his cheek resting against his palm as he jotted down notes. Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and Margaret Atwood. Sonnets, limericks, and villanelle. He wondered how much of these he’ll remember for the rest of his life, and really, how much of these will he even _use_ outside of his class.

 _None?_ He nodded. _None._ Sometimes he wondered why Yamaguchi bothered to drag him into this class; he barely seemed interested himself.

Towards the end was where it got interesting, though. That was when the lecturer decided to show them a poem on the screen. Of course the words just looked like a block of text to Tsukishima, now that he’s sitting so far from the front. But from the outline of the poem he could tell that it’s a poem of three stanzas, five lines each.

“So guys, since it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d put on a love poem just for the sake of it. Would anyone volunteer to read it?”

Tsukishima scanned the room and of course, no one raised their hands. _Yeah, who’d volunteer to read a cheesy love poem on Valentine’s day?_

“Aw come on, I don’t want to embarrass myself.” The instructor smiled slickly. “Anyone kind enough to take that on? If not, I’ll just randomly pick on someone!”

Again, no one raised their hands.

“Hmm, how about you at the back? With the green hair?”

 _You at the back, with the green hair. Well shit,_ Tsukishima grinned his sly grin. _Guess who’s the only one here with green hair._

“Um… me?” Dumbfoundedly, the poor Yamaguchi pointed a finger at himself to confirm his fate.

“Yes, you. Guess it’s your lucky day today!”

The class chuckled at the instructor’s remark, while Yamaguchi pressed an embarrassed palm to his face. _The deed is done, his fate is sealed._ Tsukishima bit back a grin as he watched his friend stood up amongst the class. He noticed his friend’s freckles, growing bright red as his face lit up with nerves and a bashful grin. Yamaguchi had never been good at public speaking, and he did his best to avoid it. But there were few occasions where it’s inevitable and he guessed that now is one of them. They always turned out highly entertaining, though.

“Oh, but before you start,” The instructor interrupted. “Is there someone you’d like to dedicate it to? With Valentine’s day going on and all?”

Yamaguchi jumped. “Um… well… really?” He shuffled on the spot and looked like he was going to protest. But for some reason, he decided against it.

Seeing this, the instructor smiled and fished out a microphone from his back pocket. Yamaguchi took it and said a small thanks.

He spoke into the microphone, and his voice was amplified suddenly, ringing around the lecture hall. “Um, someone to dedicate to? Well…” He hesitated. “Well, I guess that person’s not here today, so I can just say it.”

Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow, slightly amused. Did his friend have a new crush he didn’t know about?

“So… uh.” Yamaguchi stuttered and gripped the mic tightly in both hands. “Um, to the person I’ve known since elementary school. Blond hair, glasses, salty as hell.” He paused, a smile played on his lips. “Thanks for sticking with me for so long. Happy Valentine’s day.”

 _Since elementary school… blond… glasses…_ Tsukishima frowned. _Wait, salty?_

After Yamaguchi finished his intro, the class broke into howls and poetry snaps. Yamaguchi cleared his throat nervously and slapped his palms to his cheek. He took a deep breath; so loud as if he was trying to suck all the air in the room into his lungs as courage for himself. At that point, the snaps died down, and Tsukishima trained his eyes on his friend.

 

“You’re the type to run from dances.  
With wine glass in one hand, strange bitterness in the other,  
You sit with your ugly scowl and your gritted teeth, by the window  
Where moonlight floods on your wasted fairness,  
So, Moonlight Princess, I ask for a dance.

No doubt I’m like the others,  
No more handsome, no more Prince Charming, if not perhaps more hideous in a lot of ways,  
I pray that you don’t notice.  
Or if you do, I hope you turn a blind eye on my faults,  
Moonlight Princess, so I may ask for a dance.

If I may add bluntly, I see that you chose to stay in the hall,  
Where the heat of the dancers smothers and the lively chatter deafens,  
Dare I say, you seek a place in them as well? If that is indeed, then let me say this,  
The night is young, but not forever. My patience lasts, but for no one else,  
So, my Moonlight Princess, may I ask for a dance?”

 

  
At the end of the poem Yamaguchi broke into a tiny chuckle. The class cheered again, this time with more poetry snaps and smiles and hearty grins from both the single and the taken alike. The lecturer gave him amused claps, and Yamaguchi nodded with nervous twinkles in his eyes and a sheepish grin on his face. But before he sat, his eyes searched for his audience of interest in the crowd. Nervously, he did so. But he couldn’t see Tsukishima from where he was. He sighed with relief, and sat down.

 _You idiot! That was a fricking love poem that you just read._ This time it was Tsukishima’s turn to slap a palm on his embarrassed face. He felt his feature twisted in all directions and in ways he didn’t think was possible. And he heated up. His face was probably red at this point and it’s probably painfully obvious against his pale skin. He sent a mental scowl at Yamaguchi, threw his notes and utensils into his bag and subtly ran out through the back doors. He got out just in time, before the rest of the class flooded out the hall.


	2. Moonlight Princess, White with Strawberry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some confessions, some sadness.  
> Something changes between our boys.

Tsukishima leaned by the door of the Arts building and waited for Yamaguchi to come out of class. Usually the two would join each other for a late lunch and the rest of their afternoon classes after this. When the two met, Tsukishima called out.

“Yo.”

“Gah! Tsukki!” Yamaguchi jumped at the sight of Tsukishima; his cheeks were still evidently red from his earlier performance and Tsukishima shook his head at the thought.

“What was the ‘ _Gah!’_ for?” Tsukishima teased as they walked. “You didn’t want to see me?”

“Um, no! I mean, ugh…” Yamaguchi slouched; he was too embarrassed at his own thoughts to form a proper sentence. “Ugh… Tsukki…”

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Tsukishima smirked. He recalled the earlier poem recital and felt the redness on his face creeping up again. “Um, you up for food?”

“Heh, yeah, sure!” Yamaguchi chuckled and appreciated the change of topic. “Let’s! I’m starving!”

The two walked towards the small cafe across the courtyard. Yamaguchi asked how Tsukishima’s quizzes went, to which Tsukishima sighed and dismissed without comment. Then Yamaguchi asked about Tsukishima’s essays, which, this time, Tsukishima responded with a contented grunt. He’d finished all of them from his all-nighter and got to edit a few sections before the deadline.

“That’s good!” Yamaguchi laughed. “Geez, why would the profs make everything due on Valentine’s day? That’s just brutal!”

“Yeah.”

There, they saw a group of girls diagonally across. The girls chirped brightly, eyeing them in ways the thought was subtle while the short brunette in the middle fiddled on the spot. She had a pink, heart-shaped box in her hands. When she nodded, the rest of the girls pushed and sent the small girl flying towards the boys. Yamaguchi nudged Tsukishima on the arms, and they stopped to meet the girl.

“Um… Uh! Um!” The girl stuttered.

“Come on, you can do it!” Her posse waved at the back.

Tsukishima snuck a glance towards his friend, who smiled encouragingly at their guest. _This scene… is familiar._ He thought of the many times in high school when girls came up to him on Valentine’s day. They professed their love and gave him boxes of chocolate, but at the end of the day Yamaguchi came to him with the biggest stash. Of course, most of his chocolates were from the girls who were too shy to come directly to Tsukishima. But beneath the stack of chocolates there would always be one clumsily wrapped box with a messily-written card. And Tsukishima did not need to open it to know that it contained his favourite chocolate: white with strawberry.

Tsukishima turned to the girl. He looked at the box. _Probably not strawberry._

“Guh… um… YAMAGUCHI-KUN!” She shouted. “PLEASE ACCEPT THIS!”

The girl bowed, bent her head down and shoved her box directly at Yamaguchi. The green-haired boy jumped. Tsukishima, on the other hand, was mildly disappointed (and embarrassed) that he’s not getting that box of chocolate. But more than that he was amused, impressed even, that his friend is finally getting attention.

“Ehh! Me?” For the second time today, Yamaguchi pointed a finger dumbfoundedly at himself. “Not… Not Tsukishima?”

“Yes, you.” Tsukishima bit back a grin and folded his arms around his chest. “Hurry up.”

“Wow, thank you.”

Yamaguchi took the box and smiled sheepishly. “Well… um, see you around.”

The girl beamed. “Yes!” She said. “See you around!”

The girl ran back to her posse with squeaks and excited chatters. Tsukishima looked back to his friend. Yamaguchi held the box of chocolate in his hands with an awestruck face. Eyes wide from surprise, and mouth slightly agape. He slipped his backpack over and packed the chocolate in.

“Nice, Yamaguchi.”

“Huh? Ah, thanks! Tsukki!” He scratched his head bashfully.

“But since when did you start getting Valentine chocolates?”

Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow. He never really noticed his friend’s popularity. Sure, he got some chocolates during their final year at Karasuno, when the team was off to the nationals again and the entire team got mountains of chocolates in their shoe lockers from volleyball fans. But, now that they’re all busy with school and part-time jobs, getting chocolates in university was on a different level itself.

“Hey! Tsukki.” Yamaguchi chuckled. “I got chocolates too, you know? Well… since last year anyway. And probably not as much as you did.”

The boys filed into the small cafe and chose a table by the windows. Around them, the decor of the space was plastered with pink hearts and red roses. It was not to the point that they were surrounded by couples, it was a campus on a school day, after all. But the restaurant’s atmosphere was more rosy than usual. It sent a shiver down Tsukishima’s spine, and Yamaguchi chuckled.

    They ordered a sandwich each when the waitress came.

“But yeah, counting today’s, I think I got like 7 chocolates in my entire life. They’re just friendship ones though.” Yamaguchi laughed. “What about you, Tsukki?”

Tsukishima sighed. He wanted to tell Yamaguchi that the one he just got was definitely not a just-friendship chocolate. But he decided to let Yamaguchi figure it out on his own.

“How many chocolates have I got?” Tsukishima rephrased. He set an arm around the back of the cafe’s couch and leaned back. “Why are we talking about this? Only middle school kids compare stuff like this.”

“Ah, sorry Tsukki.” Yamaguchi smiled.

The waitress came with their sandwiches, and they chatted between bites.

“Oh right, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi started. “You didn’t come to the poetry class today. The instructor told us that he’ll be quizzing us on Shakespeare's sonnets next class, so we gotta study for that.”

Tsukishima frowned. He didn’t catch that from earlier, the lecturer must have mentioned that in the earlier half of the class.

“Sure.” He said. “Anything else I missed?”

“Ah, well,” Yamaguchi scratched his neck bashfully. “They made me read a poem to the class, it was actually pretty funny.”

Tsukishima deadpans. He thought about the cheesy love poem that he got to class just in time to hear his friend recite.

 _They made you read a poem._ Tsukishima stared blankly. _And by that, you mean, your nerves blew and you messed up completely and read the entire poem in stutters. What’s worse was, every time the word ‘moon’ came up, you said ‘tsukki’ instead. I thought you were calling my name the entire time._

Across from Tsukishima, Yamaguchi’s face grew red again at the mention of the poem-reading. He wanted to laugh at the fact that he screwed up and changed it from a love poem about the Moonlight Princess to a love poem about Princess Tsukki. But he held it back.

Wait, who was he kidding? _Princess Tsukki!_ Yamaguchi burst into a series of suppressed chuckles and then full out tears and laughters. Meanwhile, Tsukishima glared daggers while trying hard not to throw his eating knife at his best friend.

“Hey, Tsukishima! Yamaguchi! What are you guys laughing about?”

A girl’s voice rang from beside them. They turned around and saw Mishima Yayoi, their assigned lab partner chemistry class. She had her textbooks in one hand and two boxes of chocolate, one heart-shaped and one squarish, in the other. Since she couldn’t wave, she stood beside them and grinned.

“Haha, nothing, Mishima! What’s up?” Yamaguchi let his laugh die down a little before greeting, while Tsukishima mumbled a hello.

Mishima beamed and handed the squarish box to Yamaguchi. “I’m making chocolate rounds! I made a bunch for Valentine’s day. So, this is for you. And,”

She turned to Tsukishima, sets her textbooks on the ground and handed the heart-shaped box to Tsukishima with both hands. She managed her best smile and said. “Tsukishima-kun! Please accept this as a token of my love!”

“Mishima, no one says that anymore.” Yamaguchi said cheekily.

“Hey, Yamaguchi, shut up!” Mishima reddened. “That took courage, you know?”

Tsukishima stared at his lab partners and clicked his tongue. They were making too much of a scene out of this, and he wished they’d both shut up. He took the heart-shaped box from Mishima and places it on the table. Then he turned back and faced the girl.

“Thanks for the chocolate, Mishima-san. But I can’t accept your feelings.” He sighed. “I thought I turned you down two months ago.”

At the sound of Tsukishima’s rejection, something drained from Mishima’s smile. Yamaguchi saw her hands tightened into fists for a second, then release. And he suddenly felt bad for the girl. And perhaps, just a little bit, he saw a little bit of himself in Mishima. After all, Tsukishima was both popular and hard to approach. It’s impressive of her to be able to work up the courage to confess… but to have to be shot down so easily...

Mishima managed a pout. She picked up her textbooks with a smile and stuck out a tongue. “Yeah, I know, I know. Unrequited love sucks. Well, I guess I’ll see you guys in class tomorrow?”

Before the boys could reply, Mishima waved and ran out of the cafe.

“Wow… That’s an actual confession.” Yamaguchi rested his head onto his palm and sighed. “I’m jealous, Tsukki.”

 _Jealous that Mishima had the guts to do it._ Yamaguchi thought.

Tsukishima noticed a slip of sadness in his friend’s tone. “Jealous? It’s not something to be jealous about if it didn’t come from someone you actually liked.” Tsukishima thought of Yamaguchi, then out of an irrational curiosity, he asked. “You’ve never been confessed to before?”

“Well, two times last year.” Yamaguchi paused. “One of them’s from Yachi…”

Tsukishima thought of the blond girl who managed their volleyball team.

“Yachi? I thought you had a crush on her?” Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow. _Why’d you turn her down?_

“Ah, well… No, not anymore. I guess. It was back in first year and I was just nervous around her I guess.” Yamaguchi looked down at his empty plate and allowed himself to smile, just a little bit. “I kind of... liked someone else.”

“Someone else.” Tsukishima thought of the anonymous boxes of white strawberry chocolates he received every year since middle school. White with strawberry. _Yamaguchi was the only one in the school who knew I liked strawberry._ He also thought of Yamaguchi’s annual moodiness on Valentine’s day; there was always that sense of dread and longing lingering at the back of his eyes, especially when he had to confront Tsukishima to give him chocolates from his female classmates. Then he thought of today during poetry class, when Yamaguchi recited that poem to _that blond kid with glasses that he knew since elementary school_.

Of course Tsukishima knew who this ‘someone else’ was. It was painfully obvious and Tsukishima had known about it for years. After all, Yamaguchi was an idiot; his emotions were the exact definition of an open book.

“Um, yeah, someone else. You probably don’t know that person though…” Yamaguchi lifted his face from the plate and managed a smile.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. _Yeah right._

He didn’t care about Yamaguchi’s crush all that much. If his friend wanted to keep his feelings to himself, so be it. If he ever wanted to come out with it, well, Tsukishima will think of something. No matter what he decided to do, Tsukishima will have a way to handle it.

He was so sure. But right now, somehow, his felt himself wavering.

 _What exactly was I going to do?_ He thought. _Reject him?_

Tsukishima had ran simulations in his head before, where he’ll turn his friend down when he work up the courage to confess. On rare occasions, he imagined himself accepting the confession too. But either way, the two of them would spend time together like nothing had changed. Yet… although, what happens if…

_What happens if Yamaguchi stopped liking me?_

Tsukishima frowned at the thought. _Nothing._ He assured himself.

_Nothing would happen._

“We should go.” He said. “Or else we’ll be late for class.”

Unaware of his friend’s thoughts, Yamaguchi was drowning in his own. The feeling he had been hiding for years was close to surfacing, but he didn’t dare let it happen. Tsukishima was already generous enough, looking after him over all these years, lending his hands when needed, encouraging him when he felt lost. After all that, Yamaguchi couldn’t ask for more.

He collected his things and shrugged on his coat. At last, he managed a smile.

“Okay. Let’s go, Tsukki.” He said.


	3. Moonlight Princess, Keep Your Eyes on Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volleyball game, exciting!  
> The boys have a fleeting relationship.  
> And a kiss.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi didn’t sulk for long. After all, it’s been ten years. They were used to it.

So at the end of the day they walked beside each other like no feelings happened. They pretended to just be childhood friends, and they talked about things that twenty-year-old childhood friends talked about. Of all of them, one of those things was video games; they haven’t had time to play all that often after high school, but it was still a common interest.

“Grand Theft Auto.” Yamaguchi laughed as they went. “We act like we’re insane and tell them that we’re playing Grand Theft Auto.”

Somehow, the conversation drifted and they talked about what to do if a police caught them raging on the streets. Tsukishima had no idea how they’ve gone this far on the stupid scale. He slapped a palm to his forehead. Perhaps he should start managing his friend better.

“Ok,” He started. “You know what, Grand Theft Auto isn’t the solution to everything.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Run. We steal their car and run, obviously!”

“Oh!” Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them. “TSUKISHIMA! YAMAGUCHI! Perfect timing!”

_Wait,_ Tsukishima scowled. _That voice._ Whenever they heard that familiar voice saying the words ‘perfect timing’, it meant trouble. Trouble that will have them end up drunk and abandoned on the side of the road at four am in the morning. Or somehow hung onto a crane on a construction site in broad daylight. Tsukishima kept his eyes on the road ahead and made it a point to _absolutely not turn back…_

“Ah! Hey, Noya-san! Long time no see!” Yamaguchi greeted cheerfully.

_Idiot!_ Tsukishima grimaced.

They saw their high school volleyball teammate, Nishinoya Yuu, running out of the gym. He was clad in a pink t-shirt, gym shorts and pink volleyball shoes. When he saw him, Tsukishima thought he saw a ball of energy hurtling towards them at top speed. It gave him a headache.

“HEY GUYS!” Nishinoya yelled. “We need two people for our charity volleyball game, it’s going on in the gym RIGHT NOW!” He grabbed their wrists and jumped. “LET’S GO GUYS!”

“Ah, uh...” Yamaguchi stuttered.

“Nishinoya-san, why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Tsukishima put on his pretentious smile. “We would’ve said no earlier!”

“GUR!” Nishinoya rolled up his sleeves and stomped. “Hey, Tsukishima, you wanna go?”

From a distance, another one of their former teammates, Azumane Asahi, ran out from the entrance to the gym. His familiar air bun bobbed up and down as he went. He looked around for his friend nervously, then finally, on the sidewalk towards the bus loop he saw Nishinoya cracking his fists at two innocent students. He ran towards them.

“Noya-san... Please stop…” He panted as he rushed towards the three. Then, having recognized the two innocent students, he beamed.

“Oh! Tsukishima! Yamaguchi! Long time no see!” Azumane greeted.

“Hey, Asahi-san!” Yamaguchi responded with a beam of equal wattage. “I heard that you guys are having a volleyball game!”

“Oh yeah, guys, we really need two more people, or else we can’t start…” He scratched his beard. “Um, we will only be playing one set, so it won’t take much of your time...”

“Yeah, guys! And it’s a Valentine’s charity game! Be nice! Be humanitarian!” Nishinoya yelled.

“Um…”

Yamaguchi squeezed the straps of his backpack. His palms shifted unsurely up and down, and his arms flapped a little as he did so. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima hadn’t played an actual set of volleyball games since they graduated from high school, and Yamaguchi was, to be honest, a little bit excited. He turned to Tsukishima for a response.

_You want to play?_ Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow.

_Yeah!_ Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

Tsukishima scowled and clicked his tongue. _Great._

“One set, right?” He said. “Let’s just get it over with.”

“Oh! Alright! LET’S GO TEAM! GO! GO! GO!”

With Nishinoya jumping, shouting and flailing his arms behind them, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi walked into the gym changing room and prepared away.

 

 

“Hurry up, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima walked out of the changing room and into the large gymnasium above. Two flights of stairs up, Tsukishima found himself by the elevated benches that surrounded the gym. Two large electronic scoreboards hung on the two longer sides of the rectangular court. In the centre, a volleyball court was set up; the poles, the nets with the white lining, the referee’s seat, everything was set up exactly the way Tsukishima was familiar to. He felt his heart beat inside his chest from the excitement. But then promptly he frowned. Surely he did not succumb to this hot-blooded nonsense?

He pulled out his sports glasses and slapped them on just as Yamaguchi emerged from the change room.

“Oh, cool as always, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi gave him an ear-to-ear grin and a slap on the back.

“Shut up.”

The pair walked the flights and entered the gym. The place was dimly lit where it’s almost completely dark around the benches. They would be blind lest for the four blinding spotlights focused directly on the volleyball court. Below them, players were warming up with spikes and receives; rubber shoes squeaked beneath them and calls for the ball dropped here and there. They walked through the benches, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi could feel the tension escalating. Students already gathering up in the seats, giggling, laughing; their body warmth heated the entire gym up to a point where it’s summery, boiling. Most of them were either settling down or rushing into the benches with snacks and drinks. The pair had to tip-toe their way through the rustle and bustle to get to the flights that led down the court.

Yamaguchi thought of the nationals back in high school. The gym reminded him of the same buzz and thrill he felt back then. He was going to relive it again!

“Look at it, Tsukki!” He marveled. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

In the dark, Tsukishima felt a small grin at the corner of his mouth. Part of him agreed. And as reluctant as he was to admit it, his heart was fluttering.

“Sure, Yamaguchi,” He said with his eyes fixed onto the volleyball court. “Just... watch where you’re going. It’s dark…”

Almost as soon as he said this, Yamaguchi tripped over a misplaced backpack and crashed into the blond’s back. Tsukishima turned and held his smaller friend so the other doesn’t fall. Yamaguchi yelped.

“Told you…” Tsukishima stringed his arms under Yamaguchi’s and hoisted him up. At that moment, his heart lunged. The darkness made him fully aware that he could lock his friend to his chest, so easily, and hold him there. No one would see them, and the smaller boy wouldn’t be able to escape or put up a struggle against him… if only he could just...

He began to fold his arms to trap Yamaguchi to him, but the same time, he felt his friend squirming, struggling to get out of his personal space. “Ugh, sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi whispered; he crawled up from Tsukishima’s chest and stood upright again.

Then, a strange heat overwhelmed them. Redness crawled up their faces and down their necks. From a distance, Yamaguchi flushed and bit his lips, and Tsukishima snapped.

“Just hold on.” He grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand and yanked him. The two of them walked down the dark flights hand in hand. Despite the giggles of girls around them, of the darkness, their skipping hearts, the mysterious goosebumps that piled up on their arms and the immediate whistle that sounded on the court, the boys walked on, hand in hand and down the flight. Both of them wished for the flight to be endless.

 

_How long has it been,_ They wondered. _Since we held our hands like this?_

 

They reached the court too soon. Suddenly, a wave of heat crashed onto the pair. Blinding spotlight hit them like like deer in the headlight and, instinctively, Tsukishima let go of his hand. Something between the boys snapped and at that moment Tsukishima caught it, Yamaguchi’s gaze, of loss and longing. The impossibility of this, their fleeting romance, to advance further. At that moment they thought that they had stopped and reached the end of it. _Ten years, childhood friends, this was it and nothing more._ The freckled boy wished his friend never lets go. The blond, silently, regretfully, cursed himself for noticing too late.

   

    “Oh! Hi guys!”

    “WHOA YOU’RE RIGHT YOU FOUND THOSE TWO!”

    “Yamaguchi, Long time no see!”

    “Nice, we can really use a blocker on our team…”

    “Tsukishima! Block for us!”

    “Yamaguchi we need your serves, stupid Hinata still can’t serve to save his fucking…”

   

At the sight of their old team, Yamaguchi blinked and beamed. Tears formed in his eyes from his earlier sorrows, but he wiped them away.

_It’s alright. I have the team._ Yamaguchi hid behind his smile. _And Tsukki is still my friend. So everything will okay._

“Yamaguchi…”

“Whoa! Yamaguchi are you crying? You must be so happy to see us!” Hinata bounded over and slapped his short arms onto Yamaguchi. They both laughed.

“Yeah, it’s almost been a year.” Yamaguchi sniffled and smiled. “We should meet up more often. Play volleyball more often!”

Tanaka huddled over. “Yeah, man! You guys should join our intramural team, we’re trying to get all the Karasuno alumnus to join. It’s going to be huge!”

Tsukishima watched at the sides. His eyes were trained on Yamaguchi and he saw the latter laugh amongst the team. He wanted to stand beside him, but something plucked at his heart so hard that he couldn’t bring himself to move. Instead he had to turn his eyes away and focus on his fingers.

“Tsukishima, you okay?” Sawamura and Sugawara walked over, the latter smiled and passed him a towel. “We’re drawing the team now.”

“Yeah, sure...”

“Hey guys, gather up!” Sawamura waved and all twelve of Karasuno’s former volleyball teammates huddled in a semicircle with the former captain in the middle. Sugawara stood beside him with an orange ballot box. “Pick your teams. Team A on this side and Team B on the far end!”

Tsukishima drew a black ball with an orange letter B. Yamaguchi drew an orange one for team A. He shot Tsukishima an innocent beam. And so the boys lined up. Tsukishima, Sawamura, Sugawara, Ennoshita, Nishinoya and Narita on team B. Asahi, Tanaka, Kinoshita, Kageyama, Hinata and Yamaguchi on Team A.

“Look here! You asses,” Tanaka howled. “Guess who’s serving?”

Suddenly, the room went silent. Behind the serve line, Yamaguchi spun the ball and slapped it on the court twice. If there was wind in the gym right now, it came to him. He took deep breaths and felt the ball spinning in his hands. _This is good._ Then, he looked up. He held the ball with one hand and pointed right at his blond friend.

_Hey, Moonlight Princess,_ He whispered. _Keep your eyes on me!_

The whole gym cheered.

“Yamaguchi, nice serve!”

At the sound of the whistle, Yamaguchi stepped back, threw the ball in the air and jumped.

Tsukishima stared at his friend on the far side. _Float serve? Normal serve?_ _Which was it?_ At that moment, Yamaguchi had, not just Tsukishima, but the absolute undivided attention of everyone in the gym. He wasn’t best server for nothing!

A millisecond later, the serve landed, inches beside Tsukishima’s foot and shot straight for the back wall.

 

    “SER-”

    “-VICE”

    “ACE!!!”

 

The whole gym broke into thunderous cheer again. This time, Tanaka and Hinata shouted at the top of their lungs. Kinoshita locked Yamaguchi’s neck in one arm and flailed the other furiously. On their end, Sawamura chuckled and shook his head. And Sugawara looked more than impressed.

_Wow, alright, Yamaguchi. You want to play this game?_ At this point Tsukishima wasn’t just provoked. He was turned on.

_Bring it._ He smirked.

The next serve went to Sawamura. He took it with a solid bump, sending the ball high up in the air. Though he saved it, Sawamura couldn’t control the impact and the ball flew dangerously close to the net. Sugawara saw it and jumped. With a flick of his right hand he sent the ball sideways, preventing their opponent from snatching it away.

“Tsukishima! Get the last!”

Tsukishima jumped. He’d get it even without Sugawara’s call. After all, he had to get back at Yamaguchi for that last serve. What the hell was that anyway?

He scoffed, jumped with all 192 centimeters of him and slammed the ball over the net. It landed between Yamaguchi’s legs and bounded off. And his smug face said it all.

_Welcome to Moon Island._ He smiled.

On the other side, Yamaguchi’s heart skipped a beat. He felt it burn and he let it. _That’s it, the game is on!_ Nothing’s going to stop them now.

It continued. It was a constant showdown. As they rotated, none of the players switched off the court since they had exactly twelve. Somewhere along the game the teams switched sides. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi exchanged a high five in between but it did not mean truce. Oh no, not even close.

They fought on. And soon they were at 24-23, set point for Yamaguchi’s Team A. The game was coming to an end.

But things was not looking good for Team A. In front, they had Kinoshita, Yamaguchi and Kageyama at the net and their three spikers, Asahi, Tanaka and Hinata at the back row. Meanwhile Team B had Tsukishima, Sawamura and Narita, their three tallest members at the net and Nishinoya, their best libero, behind them, ready to seal any potential holes.

What’s worse was, they’re at Hinata’s serve.

“Hinata you idiot better not screw this up!”

“Shut up, Stupid-yama!”

At the net, Yamaguchi gulped. His former, athletic captain was standing right across the net from him. _One more point._ He tensed. _Just one more point!_

The whistle blew. Hinata jumped. Somehow he tripped over his leg as he slammed the ball; it barely made it over the net.

Sugawara saw it and yelled. “Narita! Push it over!”

Narita caught the ball in his fingers and flicked. The ball, with gravity calling, dropped right in front of Kinoshita.

“Good morning, how’s your day?!” Kinoshita caught the ball clumsily and it flew off towards the right, where Kageyama waited with his pinpoint precision.

_Kageyama!_ Yamaguchi gasped. _Where? Who is he setting to?_

Footsteps synchronized behind him. His teammates ran, each of them towards the front as they leapt into their highest jumps. With the peripheral of his conscious Yamaguchi heard the crowds cheering, the spotlights blinding, the referees watched them with their flags at their side and it reminded him so much of themselves back in high school. They were at the nationals, he could hear Yachi and even Shimizu-san yelling in the background with the school’s black banner fastened on the railings high up.

 

_Fly. It’s telling us to fly!_

 

Yamaguchi jumped. The ball came to him. He drew his arm back for a powerful sling.

But at the same time, he saw Sawamura and Tsukishima. Both with their towering heights looming over him. Their arms stretched high up like an iron wall slapped right up in his face.

 

_Can I do it? Can I spike it?_

 

Yamaguchi closed his eyes. He felt himself ascending, he was still halfway in his jump and he knew he could go even higher. Plus the length of his arm, plus the length of his fingertips…

He gasped. With a flick of his fingertips, he caught the ball and sent it over the net. It dropped with a soft thud behind Sawamura and Tsukishima.

 

_I did it, a feint!_

 

The whistle blew, and the crowd roared into a thunderous cry. The audience yelled and cheered, and the entire gym exploded up into a boisterous party. Yamaguchi’s team A yelled behind him and celebrated in a huge bear hug. Tanaka lifted Hinata and paraded him around. And confetti shot from all corners of the gym, sending the members into a garden of pink and red.

“CONGRATULATIONS TO KARASUNO’S TEAM A!” Somewhere off, an announcer cheered into the PA. “25 to 23, WHAT A GAME! A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR CHARITY VOLLEYBALL TEAM! And now for the Kiss Cam that we’ve all been waiting for…”

“Tsukki! I won! Haha!” Yamaguchi was overwhelmed with the high of winning. He found his friend across the net, grabbed his hands and shook it right and left. “That last feint! I bet you never saw it coming!”

“I so did.” Tsukishima clicked his tongue. Though his team lost, the cheer on Yamaguchi’s face was so contagious that he could not bite back his smile. He found himself grinning the biggest grin he had in a long time. But he wasn’t going to let Yamaguchi have it that easily.

“I so saw it coming.” He went off. “You know, I just didn’t want to drag the game into deuce…”

“No you did not you sore loser.” Yamaguchi stuck out his tongue. He tickled Tsukishima from under the net and the latter broke into roars.

“Why you little…”

Behind them, Team B laughed and shook their heads. Nishinoya noticed the large electronic screen. It’s now loaded with a pink frame and footages from around the gymnasium; its source bobbed in all directions, looking for the right couple.

“Hey, the Kiss Cam!” Nishinoya sneered. “Guess who got caught in it last year.”

Sawamura and Sugawara flushed. “Noya!” The former protested with a not-so-intimidating glare.

“Hey, it turned out well!”

“And our Kiss Cam couple is…” The announcer paused, waiting for the cameras to focus. “Well! Who do we have here?”

The Kiss Cam, having stopped finally, didn’t focus in the audience. When the crowd saw the screen they fell silent. Some girls cooed excitedly in the stands, others covered their eyes, but left a crack so they can peek through it. They looked at the court, then at the screen, on which showed the image of two boys tickling each other furiously in each other's arms.

“Hey, Yamaguchi!” Hinata called out.

“Huh?”

The boys looked up, they saw themselves on the screen and took a second to register the situation. Then, for the third time today, Yamaguchi pointed a finger dumbfounded at himself.

“Uh… EHH? Me?” He panicked. “I mean, US??”

“YES, YOU!”

 

Yamaguchi felt his heart sank. A sick feeling crept up from his stomach to his heart, his heart to his throat, and his throat to his eyes. _Wait,_ He shouted. _Stop… this was going so well…_ His mind went into overdrive as he occupied it with worst scenarios. _Tsukki… we were friends…_ He urged himself to not beg for more. With the Kiss Cam and all these people watching, Tsukishima was practically forced to kiss him. It’s going to destroy their friendship. _Tsukki is going to hate me… he’ll be so disgusted…_

“Yamaguchi,” He felt his friend’s voice, soft, whispering by his ears. “Say no if you don’t want to.”

Tsukishima’s tall shadows loomed over him. They were on the ground now, and he saw his friend leaning close. Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut. _No… Tsukki, please stop…_ A drop of tear streamed down his cheek. He gasped. And Tsukishima’s tongue entered him.

At this point, Yamaguchi could hear the howling and hooting in the audience and amongst his team. A cheer that sounded so wonderful moments ago had become his nightmare. It’s over now. The friendship they had for ten years would undoubtedly be shattered by his hopeless greed. He blamed himself for not running away. He blamed himself for staying here, in Tsukishima’s arms, and subjecting his friend to this act that so deeply shamed his best friend. Tears pour down his eyes and he struggled beneath. Desperate to run away.

“Ya… Yamaguchi…” Tsukishima freed him. He felt his friend squirming and soon saw the tears on his face. Turbulence and anxiety filled Tsukishima’s eyes.

_Wait,_ Tsukishima lost it. _I thought you liked me._

Yamaguchi backed away. He saw the mixture of feelings in Tsukishima’s eyes and knew that he messed up. He crawled up, got on his feet and stormed through the emergency exit.

Meanwhile Tsukishima just knelt there, unable to move. His mind went blank as his eyes followed Yamaguchi away. Blood drained from his face and he felt close to floor.

_Yamaguchi, did…_ He panted for air. _When did you stop liking me?_

 

“TSUKISHIMA!”

A shout. A powerful voice came from behind him. At that time Tsukishima wasn’t aware that that voice itself was trembling too, but it rang through his head like the alarm to his dreams.

“GO!” Sawamura waved his arm. “AFTER HIM!”

It sent shocks up his legs and set Tsukishima bolting out the doors.

 

\---

Behind them, Sugawara stared blankly at Sawamura's trembling thighs.

_Lord help us,_ He sighed. _It's last year all over again._


	4. Moonlight Princess, Will You Go Out with Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moonlight, under the tree.  
> Our boys fall in love.

Outside, the full moon shone brightly, illuminating the empty sidewalk and the starry night’s sky. A lone streetlamp stood by a tree, ten meters from the gym, flickering at times, sending popping sounds into the night. That’s where Tsukishima found Yamaguchi. He was trying to get into a bush, but his shoe got caught in the branches and he was stuck there. One leg in, one leg out.

Tsukishima deadpans.

His heart was still beating fast, and his breath unstable from the short sprint. But he threw all that aside and walked up to his friend.

“Tsu… Tsukki…”

He knelt down and untangled the shoe from the branches. Then he pushed his friend into the bush.

“Get in.” He said.

And he got into the bush as well. The two sat down beside each other on the little grass clearing under the tree. With their knees tucked under their chins, shoulder against shoulder, the cold night’s air brushed through their hair and across their cheeks.

And they said nothing.

Minutes gone by. At one point, Yamaguchi started bawling and tears poured out of his eyes like buckets emptying. He sobbed and wailed, like a goddamn baby. At one point it escalated to uncontrollable blubbering and Tsukishima had to pull him into his arms and press his head to his shoulder. He placed a hand on Yamaguchi’s back, and the other on his head, gently petting as they went.

“Why are” Tsukishima ask mechanically. “you crying?”

Yamaguchi exploded, more tears rolled down his eyes and he began sobbing and hiccuping so badly that Tsukishima thought he might choke.

“Alright! God… Come here.” Tsukishima turned to face his friend. He folded his legs, lifted Yamaguchi’s hips to his waist so that the latter was now sitting in his lap.

_Better._

Yamaguchi’s head grazed on his shoulder and against his own. Tsukishima could feel him flinch at the sudden movement. And, to his relief, finally stopped crying.

“Why were you crying…” He asked again. He felt hurt. Tsukishima couldn’t understand why his friend got so emotional from one kiss. _Was it that bad? If it was then you could’ve just said so…_

Though it would, he admitted, break his heart a little.

“Tsukki… Tsukki…” Yamaguchi spoke though hiccups. “If…”

“What?” Tsukishima turned away.

“If I loved you, would you hate me? _”_

Tsukishima frowned. _Wha… What kind of question is this? Oxymoron?_

“Why would I hate you?”

“Because I’m asking for too much. I’m too greedy...”

“Because you want me to love you back?” He cocked an eyebrow.

Tsukishima took a shot in the dark. He was starting to get where his friend was going. If Yamaguchi was worrying about what he thinks it was, then he would, truly, be the biggest idiot Tsukishima’s ever loved.

Yamaguchi nodded.

_Idiot!_

“Are we still friends?”

“... Yeah.”

Yamaguchi hugged him tight. “Thanks, Tsukki.”

_Holy shit Yamaguchi why are you thanking me for being your friend I’ve been doing that for ten years goddamn it I thought you want me to go out with you…_

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi turned to his friend.

Tsukishima felt Yamaguchi’s nose brushing across his cheek. Their faces were so close. _So close._ Tsukishima felt the sudden rush of blood up his face for the umpteenth time of the day. Slightly embarrassed, he closed his eyes.

“That poem,” He sighed. “That poem from this morning, read it to me.”

Yamaguchi flushed. “You were _there?_ ”

“ _To the person I’ve known since elementary school. Blond hair, glasses, salty as hell._ ” Tsukishima said blankly. “That’s to me, right? I’m the saltiest person you know.”

Yamaguchi’s heart fluttered. He’d read that poem only on the assumption that his friend wasn’t there to hear it. _But…_

“Read it.” He ordered.

 

 _“You’re the type to run from dances._   
_With wine glass in one hand, strange bitterness in the other,_   
_You sit with your ugly scowl and your gritted teeth, by the window_   
_Where moonlight floods on your wasted fairness,_ _  
_ _So,_ Princess Tsukki, I ask for a dance.

 _No doubt I’m like the others,_   
_No more handsome, no more Prince Charming, if not perhaps more hideous in a lot of ways,_   
_I pray that you don’t notice._   
_Or if you do, I hope you turn a blind eye on my faults,_ _  
_ Princess Tsukki, so I may ask for a dance.

 _If I may add bluntly, I see that you chose to stay in the hall,_   
_Where the heat of the dancers smothers and the lively chatter deafens,_   
_Dare I say, you seek a place in them as well? If that is indeed, then let me say this,_   
_The night is young, but not forever. My patience lasts, but for no one else,_ _  
_ So, Tsukishima Kei, will you...”

 

_Will you go out with me…?_

“Will you go out with me?” Tsukishima asked.

Yamaguchi’s face turned a deeper shade of red, if it was even possible. He nodded, grinned, cried, and held his friend even tighter.

“Yeah,” He whispered. “I love you.”

Tsukishima smiled. _Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cannon to this fic:  
> 1\. So the one in charge of the Kiss Cam is actually Mishima the fangirl. She realized that she can't be with Tsukki so she might as well set him up with Yama so she gets some eye candy. (and also I'm secretly Mishima)
> 
> 2\. The reason why Yama dragged Tsukki into taking the poetry course is because Yama knew Tsukki's into music and song writing. He saw Tsukki getting stump on lyric writing and thought poetry might help.
> 
> 3\. The one who operated the Kiss Cam last year was Michimiya, who had the same mentality as Mishima except she actually liked Suga (not Daichi).
> 
> 4\. Tsukki is an arts major (aiming for philosophy and law school) while Yama is a science major (aiming for chem).
> 
> 5\. Shimizu helped Yachi get over Yamaguchi back in high school. (They kept in contact after Shimizu graduated) And now they're in the friend/lover in-between zone.
> 
> Wow I didn't know this fic would drag out to this long lol. I hope you enjoyed most of it though!  
> As always, thanks for reading! Comments/Kudos if you see fit. Questions in the comments if you have any. See you guys!


End file.
